shoe per diem, july 15, 2011 – golden victory

shoe per diem, july 15, 2011 – siegessäule, originally uploaded by piaktw.

One of my (little) dreams in life since I first saw one of my favourite movies, Der Himmel über Berlin, was to climb the Siegessäule monument in Berlin. The place where angels congregate.

This year we made it up there. It was truly a golden moment in many ways – I haven’t blogged about it yet, haven’t even uploaded the photos to Flickr, but wow, just wow… – 277 plus spiral staircase steps up in order to reach the small platform just below the golden angel. Where you find a spectacular, and very windy, view over this amazing city.

Wearing shoes that matched Goldelse on top of the monument made the climb even better I think. A small victory for mankind perhaps, a great one for me.

How to procrastinate 101

I am really good at procrastinating. I have a heap of school work to do, so today I got up early and went for a quick run so I could study all day. However, upon eating breakfast, My flatmates decided to take a trip to south Auckland to visit another friend, a buddist temple and a tea shop (temple below)

We came home after lunch and I had every intention of beginning the study, but then we went to a pet shop and cuddled some puppies (and very nearly brought one home) and then went to the store and bought a coffee table (which I kindly offered to assemble).

Tomorrow is another day I suppose …

man shoe per berlin in july 2011 diem

man shoe per berlin diem, originally uploaded by piaktw.

The shoes/sandals M wore most of the time in Berlin. I have still to convince him of the awesomeness of El Naturalista… But if you’re going to wear other brands they’re particularly good if they’re vegan shoes imho.

These man shoes are from (edit) a shoe shop in Gdansk, Poland - and for that ridiculously cheap shoes to have been in leather, that would have broke my heart… – I think they look alright (and can be worn by men not fond of pedicures).

shoe per diem july 12, 2011 – animalistic birkenstocks

shoe per diem july 16, 2011 – animalistic slippers, originally uploaded by piaktw.

I adore these twin-sandals with animal prints by Birkenstock. But no, I didn’t get any. My Birkenstock goal for Berlin (where they sell them at at least half price compared to, in this case, over-priced Sweden) was set – open toe-sandals for summer lounging at home. I still managed to get two instead of one pair that day. They will both make their appearance on SPD soon, very soon.

28/7.2011 – shoe per diem

28/7.2011 – shoe per diem, originally uploaded by julochka.

and another guest appearance. sabin took this of her own feet at legoland. adidas highstops. don’t these guest appearances make for a nice change from my aqua wellies?

~ julochka

27/7.2011 – safety shoe per diem

27/7.2011 – safety shoe per diem, originally uploaded by julochka.

husband took this himself and announced, “for your shoe per diem blog,” so he’s here as a guest. and these are his very fetching steel-tipped safety shoes. in case he drops a saw on his foot when he’s building chicken coops and treehouses.

~ julochka

Ladies who lunch

It’s a friend’s 30th birthday today so we went out for a lovely lunch at Portofino on the waterfront. Perfect way to spend a rare sunny-not-windy day in Wellington! And another opportunity to wear my super comfy cowboy boots that are tucked away in the darkness of the bottom of the photo.

L x

spd : 18 lunch break

spd : 18 lunch break, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

on really hectic days even a short lunch break is better than no lunch at all.

shoe per diem july 14, 2011 – beelitz heilstätten

shoe per diem july 14, 2011 – beelitz heilstätten, originally uploaded by piaktw.

One of the most amazing, sad and eerie places I’ve ever been to, an abandoned hospital complex area in Beelitz, south of Berlin. Beelitz Heilstätten consists of about 60 buildings, some more dilapidated than others. So. Very. Fascinating. And creepy. And amazing. Such grand architecture and surroundings just left like this…

Haven’t blogged about the place yet, haven’t even uploaded the photos, but soon-ish. And the SPD-snap precedes everything, right?

Thank you, Julie, for pointing me in this direction in one of your previous blogposts about urban decay. I would love to return and explore some more. Although with my overwhelming feeling of eeriness in such places I can safely say I would not be the most daring of urban explorers.

Shoe per diem: El Naturalista Iggdrasil swirl clogs in navy blue – the reason for having shoes on hand instead of feet was that I feared some ghostly being might have snatched me if I had laid down on the ground with shoes in the air. This SPD-snap ensured a quick-ish getaway.

spd 17 : yoga tuesday

spd 17 : yoga tuesday, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

spd 16 : my brooks, bob’s sperry’s

spd 16 : my brooks, bob’s sperry’s, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

I actually had on some wedges, but went to the gym after work (because standing all day isn’t quite enough). By the time I remembered I needed to post an spd I had already kicked off my shoes…and gotten my wine.

24 july 2011 // homely sunday

yes, it’s another kitty guest appearance. there wasn’t much more to my sunday, really. and that’s not a bad thing.

 

Gorgeous Floor

It’s like we were meant for each other.

spd 14 : crocs and asics

spd 14 : crocs and asics, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

bob’s pool shoes (crocs) and ashley’s work shoes (asics) … kodi and juneau hoping for a treat

24/7.2011 – shoe per diem (or should i say the shoe of the month)

24/7.2011 – shoe per diem (or should i say the shoe of the month), originally uploaded by julochka.

it’s been a wet july and i’ve hardly worn anything but my viking wellies. *sigh*

~ julochka

24/7.2011 – shoe (or lack thereof) per diem

24/7.2011 – shoe (or lack thereof) per diem, originally uploaded by julochka.

we’ve had really rainy crap weather of late and today was overcast, but warm enough to be barefoot. so this is a guest appearance by sabin and her friend stephanie. who weren’t wearing shoes at all!

~ julochka

Jack Purcell

One of my favorite things is discovering footprints in paint on floors and sidewalks.  I found this one last night in Highlandtown -  a neighborhood in Baltimore. It’s very old paint.

shoe per diem july 13, 2011 – berlin beach

shoe per diem july 13, 2011 – berlin beach, originally uploaded by piaktw.

The couple of times we spent at this cool and über-lovely inner city beach in Berlin, called Strandgut, having Berliner Weisse and softdrinks while sun-loungering were also a couple of the best moments during the trip. Especially on that cloudy day when there weren’t a lot of people around.

Bliss.

spd 13 : too hot to wear shoes

spd 13 : too hot to wear shoes, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

shoe per diem june 30, 2011 – wedges

shoe per diem jun 30, 2011 – wedges, originally uploaded by piaktw.

I’ve said it before, I say it again – and I know many will disagree, feel free of course – I can’t stand wedges in general. Because A) find them incredibly ugly and unaestethic and B) impossible to walk nicely in for 99% of the women who wear them. However, these El Naturalista (surprise) may be ugly from the wedge side, put incredibly comfortable and easy to walk in, with a pretty perfect height of heel.

I find my hairdresser‘s clogs (Swedish Hasbeens for H&M) über-cool and very pretty, if it wasn’t for the rather horrific (IMHO and all that) clog-wedge-sole.

22 july 2011 // bows

 

I hardly ever wear these boots and I think the main reason is because I don’t actually really know what colour they are (a little bit blue, a little bit green, I guess) and I don’t really have anything that matches them. I put on a boring grey outfit this morning and thought it would be a good chance to take these out. Plus, they have bows. Bows make everything better.

 

shoe per diem june 28, 2011 – two red

shoe per diem june 28, 2011 – two red, originally uploaded by piaktw.

I’ve been away on a most fab trip, but as I didn’t have the time to post all my pre-trip SPD photos before I left the more intriguing travel-ones (plus all the new shoes acquired, hrm, yes I did…) will have to wait, chronological as I am.

On the (sadly) very odd occasion I’ve pursuaded my mother to get a pair of El Naturalistas. She got this pair of red maryjanes Angkor on sale recently. Now waiting for it not being so hot she can stop wearing her beloved summer Birkenstocks and hop into the other red cuties.

PS I spotted that the El Naturalista site has a sale going on right now, in case you’re very sure about your size. Just sayin’… DS

spd : 12 athena alexander wedges

spd : 12 athena alexander wedges, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

putting my feet up on a rare slow day at work. the down side: it’ll be crazy tomorrow

21 july 2011 // nzff ftw!

waiting for the bus after an evening of many laughs, thanks to the new zealand international film festival and a really cute french comedy. i didn’t feel like laughing so much when the bus didn’t show up and i had to sit at the bus stop in the cold for 30 minutes. still, a good night out.

 

Feeling the love

 

 

 

I work in recruitment and today one of my candidates started his new job, so he popped in with this lovely little pressie for me to say thanks, bless! It made my day actually. And my new shoes are making their SPD debut – black wedges are one of my favourite things at the moment, almost as favourite as my nude stilettos, but you have to wait for the weekend to see them.

L x

 

pizza and wine

Home made taco pizza as well as home made ham and mushroom pizza, plus some wine and a (Moroccan) card game. 
I had such a bad hand!!!  (It wasn’t yet organized at this point.)

laura ^^

it’s a start

I’ve been slowly getting back into running. It turns out my IT bands are super tight, which is why I’ve been having trouble recovering. Between torturous massages on my legs and figuring out how to get the knots out on my foam roller things seem to be going ok.

Last night I went out for the longest run since I’ve been injured…4 miles/6.5 km. I’m trying not to get ahead of myself, but there’s still a chance I could do a marathon this fall.

 

spd 11 : best seat in the house. pedi @ reality salon and spa

spd 11 : best seat in the house. pedi @ reality salon and spa, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

spd 10 : reef flipflops and a glass of rombauer chardonnay

spd 10 : reef flipflops and a glass of rombauer chardonnay, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

the perfect cure for a hectic monday

Just call me Kitty Bark

That’s my golf name btw. Started lessons tonight with a friend. We plan on playing can a hole sometime soon

spd : 9 blinging it again with kvz flats

spd : 9 blinging it again with kvz flats, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

missouri botanical gardens. hottest part of the day. hottest day of the year. it’s how we roll.

Sparkly

We have had so. Much. Rain. Lately. It has been so depressing. So this morning when the sky was all sparkling and blue I made haste to get in some very much needed training for our half marathon in three weeks. Yes that’s right three weeks. F&@$! The week I spent in tonga screwed my training right up and I’ve had to start at the beginning again. But I’ll get there. Yes I will!

spd 8 : blue sperrys and my friend Ty in his Birkenstocks

spd 8 : blue sperrys and my friend Ty in his Birkenstocks, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

I try not to work saturdays, but filled in for a friend. Luckily it was slow enough that Ty and I could play on Flickr

spd 7 : white skechers with gold threading. oldies but so comfy for work!

spd 7 : white skechers with gold threading. oldies but so comfy for work!, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

Rain rain

A shower hit when I was running, felt like a break anyway. It’s over now, better get back to it…

more walking

I’m slowly getting back into running, but am still doing quite a bit of walking. Today my running-partner-turned-walking-partner and I strolled along the river after work today.

Horsing around

This pic is about a week old but I’ve been playing catch up since my internet at home hasn’t been working. Went horseriding out in Ohariu Valley – it was gorgeous but the horse was more hungover than I was and we didn’t go above a gentle meandering pace, which was a little dull but probably for the best.

L x

Scary Sunday

Spent my Sunday at a high ropes course. It was fun but a long day after a late night! Also seemed like a good time to break out the matching toes/jandals combo again.

L x

swimming sunday

the weather here has been HOT HOT HOT. not that i’m complaining because i love hot weather & lots of sunshine. sunday was the perfect day to hang out by the pool.

pink shoes & scary eyes

I’ve been neglecting my SPD duties and am not even sure when this photo was taken (only that it was sometimes last week). My laptop and my camera have not been talking to each other for some reason but being able to copy this photo and a few others today is hopefully a sign that they’ve somehow solved their differences.

shoe per diem june 22, 2011 – another kind of green

shoe per diem june 22, 2011 – another kind of green, originally uploaded by piaktw.

I don’t like flats, they might be pretty on other feet, but my feet just don’t do well with them anymore so no flats for me.

But any excuse to show a *new* pair of El Naturalistas, eh? These are my mother’s sandals, they’re about 5 years old, the model is called Ikebana.

I think the pattern is supposed to be inspired by a japanese flower arrangement, to me it looks more like a snake. No matter what, it’s a pretty pair of sandals, don’t you think?

MIA

Have been away for the week, getting some much needed Vitamin D in Tonga. I haven’t really got anything interesting to tell about our time there… basically we lay on the beach, swam, snorkeled and over-indulged on things like booze and food. All the great ingredients for a holiday! I hate having to come back to winter, but at least I had a week’s break. Bring on November!

shoe per diem june 21, 2011 – mock-orange and yellow

shoe per diem june 21, 2011 – mock-orange and yellow, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Recently it was orange galore. On summer solstice it was the scent of mock-orange galore (which I adore).

I wore yellow shoes and picked a wee mock-orange flower to accompany me with its heavenly scent all the way home. I’ve been meaning to plant my own shrub for some years now, still haven’t gotten around to it.

wellies per diem + garden dinner

wellies per diem + dinner, originally uploaded by julochka.

picking tuscan kale and small broccoli stalks in the garden. they went into spring rolls.

my aqua viking wellies are getting a bit dirty, but that’s only a good thing, as it means they’re getting lots of use in the garden. tho’ i could honestly do with a bit less rain.

~ julochka

shoe per diem june 17, 2011 – it’s all about the raincoat

june 17, 2011 – raincoat, originally uploaded by piaktw.

The only reason I went into town that rainy, rainy day was a meeting that turned out to be such an enormous waste of my time I’m still fuming thinking about it (weeks later). However, the wearing of my birdie raincoat always makes me smile, even on such a day. From Danish brand “Two Danes” (since almost all good things come from Denmark, apart from shoes).

Shoe Per Diem – El Naturalista Tesela olivegreen maryjanes

shoe per diem one day in june 2011 – when the clog doesn’t fit

shoe per diem june 2011 – when the clog doesn’t fit, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Both my mother and I think it’s silly that we have such different shoe sizes (although she’s 1.64 cm tall and I’m 1.79 so our respective sizes do fit our heights).

When she stomps around in my shoes it’s like a child trying out her mother’s shoes, but the other way around obviously. The model of these El Naturalista clogs are even more giggle-worthy on her skinny legs. Chunky shoes are not for her.

Poor little shoes

Today has been one of those days… My shoes broke, I got a hole in my stockings and a raft of other little annoying things happened. But it’s nearly over, I’ve got a vino in hand, and tomorrow is a new day so it’s all on the up from here

L x

shoe per diem june 18, 2011 – orange

shoe per diem june 18, 2011 – orange, originally uploaded by piaktw.

I coveted these garden ornament flowers badly for some weeks, they were marked as LED lights and I thought they were utterly cool (and expensive). When I thought of going ahead and actually buying a couple it turned out they were just “glowing in the sun flowers”. I lust no more and I saved my money. Though they do match the clogs per diem very well, don’t you think?

3-day weekend

It was a three-day great weekend adventure with art, museums, gardening and ending at an old haunt in Baltimore. I managed to get a shot with all four of us in it.

4/7.2011 – shoe (+ lemon tree) per diem

4/7.2011 – shoe (+ lemon tree) per diem, originally uploaded by julochka.

some really old leather “jesus” sandals by outland that i bought in the charmingly decrepit landmark department store on one of my first trips to manila back in 2005. ideal for running to the store. i thought they looked fetching by the happy blooming lemon tree.

~ julochka

shoe per diem june 15, 2011 – pre-sales

shoe per diem june 15, 2011 – pre-sales, originally uploaded by piaktw.

I was so excited about the pre-sales at NoaNoa I apparently missed that this particular shop opened an hour later than the rest. Thus we had to wait for 1,5 hour instead 30 minutes at the nearby coffee-shop. Luxuary problems are also problems.

I picked up two pretty blouses, since I’m kind of expecting to find more things at nicer prices at the Danish final sales when we pass through there on our way home from Berlin in a few weeks.

And Berlin, the great home of El Naturalista shoe sales… I still remember last summer’s sales there with misty eyes…

Yes, most days of my live I do not shop. Really.